Man held after gun siege at house

Residents have spoken of their shock after shots were fired in a quiet suburb.

PUBLISHED: 00:13, Wed, Sep 26, 2012

Police arrested a man after a 'domestic incident' in Plympton, Devon [PA]

Police were called following reports that a gunman was holed up in a house in the village of Plympton, in Plymouth, Devon.

Neighbours told how they saw a man pinned to the ground and handcuffed before being taken away by armed police on Tuesday night.

Residents earlier witnessed a microwave and television set being thrown from the property in St Maurice Road, before shots were fired from what they believed was an air rifle.

Devon and Cornwall Police described it as a "domestic incident" and said no-one had been injured.

Officers were called to the terraced property just before 7pm and residents were evacuated from their homes and a cordon erected as police attempted to negotiate with the suspect.

Alex Guttridge, 20, said: "I had just come back from getting some food at 7.30pm when seven police cars turned up. I was at the top of the road just about to go into my house when the police started moving us away. They put a cordon up and asked us to leave. The next thing I know I heard bangs and shouting."

Nick Sheehan, 18, who watched the situation unfold, said he saw the suspect surrender peacefully after putting down a weapon.

He said: "A man walked out the house with the firearm in his hand, police told him to stay where he was and he put the firearm on the floor. (Police) took him out on to the road, they put him on his face, put a gun to his head and proceeded to arrest him. There were two shots fired (earlier in the evening), out of the middle of nowhere."

Police confirmed a man was in custody and officers continued to search the property. The cordon was lifted at about 11pm on Tuesday.